Religious indoctrination and animal exploitation
I just became aware that the two most socially acceptable evils I perceive (religious indoctrination and animal exploitation) haven’t been receiving equal coverage on my feed, with me delegating the much higher effort to undermining theism. I aim to change this. If both groups don’t hate me about equally, then I’m not advocating change enough.
~ Thomas Hudson (October 28, 2013)
Being centered on the victims rather than on yourself
Abolitionist vegans promote veganism as the moral baseline to put an end to all animal use simply because it is wrong to use and kill any sentient being for pleasure and convenience. Promoting nothing less than veganism is easy. It is like becoming vegan: it is a matter of being centered on the victims rather than on yourself ….
~ Diane Dion (October 28, 2013)
If you consume dairy and consider yourself a feminist …
If you consume dairy and consider yourself a feminist, you need to explain to me how feminism can be consistent with forced and repeated impregnation, separating mothers and babies almost immediately after birth, killing the male babies, and subjecting the female babies to the horrors their mothers suffered.
~ Gary L. Francione (October 22, 2013)
And most importantly, nonhuman animal interests matter morally
Consuming animal products is not a given—it’s a decision that each of us makes. Most of the time we blindly accept it as if there were no moral reason to reject it, because we are raised in a culture where this exploitation [is] normalized, belittled and erased. The reality is, we have every reason to reject it. It is not in line with our values of nonviolence and caring about animals. And most importantly, nonhuman animal interests matter morally. They value their lives and have interests in not being harmed. We ought to respect and protect these interests, just as our interests are respected and protected. The least we can do is be vegan, and not contribute to the unnecessary harm, suffering, mutilations, bereavement, sexual exploitation, murder, etc, of these vulnerable beings. They are not things for us to use, they are someones for us to respect.
~ Nicole Monaghan (October 24, 2013)
Slavery cannot be made humane, but it can be ended
Slavery cannot be made humane, but it can be ended. Stand up for the rights of others, work towards the abolishment of slavery not the regulation of it.
Think, then Go Vegan!
Peter Singer says you should just shut up and eat it
Peter Singer says that if you’re a vegan sitting with non-vegan friends in a restaurant and your food comes with cheese on it, you should just shut up and eat it so your friends don’t think that being a vegan is difficult. I say that if you eat it, you have just taught your friends that veganism is not something to be taken seriously as a moral matter.
~ Gary L. Francione (October 19, 2013)
We stand here today united as vegans
We are not asking society to improve the welfare of all those animals confined or trapped in industrial animal factories, laboratories, circuses, zoos, aquariums, but to free them.
We are appealing to our fellow humans to extend the mantel of social justice, freedom, and equality to include all sentient beings.
Animals are not our property, they are not our slaves. Animals are not raw materials for our personal desires or to use at call for our own ends. Animals are individuals, just like we are.
We stand here today to encourage our fellow humans to broaden their circle of compassion by publicly acknowledging these animals and putting a face to them and the relentless suffering they must endure.
We would like people to reflect on any harmful choices they may make.
…
We stand here today united as vegans. Vegans choose not to use any animal products in order to extend justice and equality to all sentient beings who share this planet with us.
We are not better or worse than anyone else, but we share a deep and abiding belief that all life deserves respect, dignity, and personal freedom.
~ Patty Mark (October 1, 2013)
